Finding Balance with Media and Tech

Use at Home
Workshop Facilitator's Guide
Thank you for your commitment to helping families nurture early childhood development in the digital
age! This colorful activity gets parents and caregivers thinking about how to establish a healthy
balance of activities for their children, with and without media and tech.

Workshop Goals
This workshop will help parents and caregivers:
● Reflect on their children's balance of weekly activities and how they can use technology (or not)
to enhance them.
● Design a simple family media plan with expectations or "rules" they can share with their family
and practice at home.

Important Links and Materials

Slides: https://comsen.se/finding-balance-slides
Video: https://comsen.se/finding-balance-video
Handout: https://comsen.se/ideal-meals-handout
Take-home resources: https://comsen.se/tech-planner-2-8
Workshop participant survey: https://comsen.se/survey or https://comsen.se/survey-pdf (to print
for participants without smartphone access)
Workshop series guide: https://comsen.se/workshop-series-guide (with tips and resources for
planning your event)
About Common Sense: https://comsen.se/about
Other materials needed:
● Blank sheets of paper (if not using the Ideal MEALS handout).
● Crayons, colored pencils, or markers.

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Slides, Talking Points, and Facilitation Notes
Follow along with the slides and read the talking points. Facilitation notes are in italics.

Talking Points and Facilitation Notes

Slide 1 This workshop is brought to you by Common Sense Media,
which is part of Common Sense, an independent nonprofit
organization dedicated to helping families navigate the world
of media and technology with their kids.

Slide 2 In this workshop, we'll reflect on:

● The activities my child engages in every week, and how
much media and technology they consume.
● How might I replace time with media/tech with other
learning activities, when possible?
● How can I use media and technology to enhance
activities that promote learning and development?

Slide 3 What are we talking about when we say "media"?

Media means forms of communication, such as books, radio,

television, internet, movies, TV shows, music, iPads,
smartphones, laptops, websites, and more!

Slide 4 Let's think about our Ideal MEALS of media and tech for our
home and kids!
Just as it's important to have balanced meals of food, we can
think about having healthy, balanced meals of media and
technology as well.

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Slide 5 Distribute the handout.

Let's fill in the Ideal MEALS pie chart with different colors to
indicate the various activities we would like our children to
engage in every single week. Feel free to customize it based
on your child's interests and needs.

If you're facilitating virtually and the participants don't have the

pie chart printed out, have them draw a circle on a blank piece of
paper or notebook and divide it with four lines to create the
eight-slice pie chart.

Slide 6 Optional facilitation video.

Let's watch this short video to learn how the Ideal MEALS pie
chart can get us thinking about our family's use of media and
technology.

Show video: Finding Balance with Media and Tech Use at Home.

Slide 7 Show the group how to fill in one or two of the slices to get them
started filling out their pies.

Some activity ideas are playtime, reading, chores, music/arts,

family game time, outdoor activities, educational apps, etc.

Depending on the time you have for the activity, allow up to 10

minutes for participants to fill in their MEALS pie charts. Feel free
to play some music while they do so.

Slide 8 Take a look at what you have so far. Let's think about how
media and technology fit in.

Which activities let you use media and technology to support

or enhance the experience? Mark those activities with a T.

Which activities do you prefer your child to do without tech

or screens? Mark those activities with an X.

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Slide 9 Sharing time:
Hold up your Ideal MEALS! How are the pies similar?

If someone says that they're all colorful or rainbows, make the

connection: No one made their pie just one color; each is a
spectrum and colorful balance of various activities!

How are they different?

If someone says that they're all unique, make the connection: Yes,
no single formula works for everyone. Each family is different, and
every child is unique and has specific interests and needs. As long
as children have a healthy mix of activities throughout the week,
parents and caregivers can trust themselves to determine healthy
routines based on their family values and their children's needs.

Now let's talk with each other about our Ideal MEALS.
Give participants time to talk about their pie charts (5 to 10
minutes).

Choose from these discussion strategies based on the size and

dynamic of the group (or come up with your own):
● Participants share in small groups or in pairs.
● Participants get up and find another person across the
room to talk to.
● If virtual, set up breakout rooms for participants to share in
pairs or small groups.

When the group comes back, have a couple participants share

their reflections with the whole group.

Slide 10 Not all screens are created equal.

By focusing on HOW we're using devices and screens to

enhance activities, we can feel good about the use of
technology, knowing that it's supporting a healthy balance for
our children.

Instead of focusing on screen TIME, we can now focus on

screen QUALITY!

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 And remember to focus on the whole pie. If your pie has
balanced portions of different activities, you don't need to
worry about counting minutes. You'll know your child is
getting what they need.

Slide 11 Let's look at the other side of the handout to review the
acronym MEALS.

This is a fun way to remember helpful tips for balancing media

and tech at home.

M is for Model
E is for Engage
A is for Adjust
L is for Limit, and
S is for Support

If you're facilitating a short session or need to end the activity for

time, feel free to review the acronym briefly, and then move on to
the Ideal MEALS Plan on slide 17.

If you have time, review each letter of the acronym with

participants on slides 12 to 16, and invite them to share their best
practices with each other.

As we review each one of these, let's think about examples of

best practices.

Slide 12 M is for Model: Through their actions, grown-ups indirectly

teach children how technology should be used. We can't
always be perfect, but we can try! Do your best to model
healthy tech use by:
● Taking care of devices.
● Keeping the television off when no one is watching.
● Using only one device at a time.
● Not using screens before bed or in the bathroom.
● Putting away or silencing phones during family time.

Group reflection:
Do you struggle to model healthy technology use? What's
hardest for you?
Invite participants to volunteer/share.

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 Another way to model is by describing exactly how you are
using technology. For example:
● "Mommy is checking the grocery list on her phone."
● "Let's see what library books we can reserve on my
phone."
● Set alarms to remind you when to put your phone
away, and when the alarm goes off, be explicit with
children: "Look -- it's Daddy's time to put away his
phone, so I can enjoy other things like playing tea party
with you."

Slide 13 E is for Engage: Use technology to bond! Warm, supportive

interactions are critical in the early years. If you're able to
co-view and co-play with your child when using media and
tech, they'll love sharing the experience with you. When you
can't watch or play with them, follow up with questions about
the show or game at dinner or bedtime. Kids love sharing
about their media use.

Group reflection:
What are other ways to ENGAGE with your child while using
technology?

Invite participants to volunteer/share.

Slide 14 A is for Adjust: Not all screens are created equal. It's not
about screen TIME, it's about screen QUALITY.

Just as you have to choose what type of food to eat,

depending on the time of day or situation, it's important to
adjust what movies, apps, and games your child uses based on
the content, context, and specific needs of your child*.

Ask yourself:
● Is it high-quality content? Check the ratings and
reviews!
● When and where are they watching? Don't let media
interfere with sleep or mealtimes, and try not to use it
as a distraction or to calm them down.
● How does it make your child feel? Does it help them
with their development?

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 Group reflection:
What are some examples of how you can ADJUST the use of
media and tech at home?
Invite participants to volunteer/share.

*Based on Lisa Guernsey and Michael Levine's concept of the "3

C's" from “Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of
Screens.” Lisa Guernsey and Michael Levine, 2015.

Slide 15 L is for Limit: Set limits early and apply rules consistently. As
kids get older, have them help come up with the family's rules.
Kids are more likely to follow the rules if they helped create
them.
● Have clear expectations about when kids watch
television, play video games, or play with the phone or
tablet. For example, maybe dinner prep is one of those
times. Be clear and consistent about what they can do
during that time and for how long.
● Set limits on what types of content kids can watch or
play. Are there specific channels or apps that are OK?
Others that are off-limits? Go to
commonsensemedia.org for ratings and reviews of the
best TV shows, apps, games, and more for kids.
● Create tech-free zones. Set rules that fit your family,
such as "no devices during dinner," or "all screens off at
least an hour before bedtime."
● Make room and set expectations for flexibility. Family
priorities can shift from day to day. For example, where
media falls in the list of priorities can be different on a
warm, sunny day versus a cold, rainy day.
Remember, children need to balance their screen use with
time for active play, reading, and other activities we know are
good for child development.

Group reflection:
Let's share best practices with each other! What are some
LIMITS that you want to set in your home regarding the use of
media and technology?

Invite participants to volunteer/share.

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Slide 16 S is for Share and Support: Just like we're sharing
best practices with each other now! Also, talk with other
grown-ups in your child's life -- friends, relatives,
neighbors -- about rules and expectations for family
media and technology use.

Group reflection:

How else can we SUPPORT our families and friends? What

can we share from what we've learned today?

Invite participants to volunteer/share.

Slide 17 Ideal MEALS of Media and Tech Plan:

Now that we've shared so many ideas and best practices with
each other, what are three things you plan to practice at home
with your kids, based on what you heard or learned today?

Time permitting, have participants share their Ideal MEALS Plan.

Encourage them to take it home, review with their kids, and sign it
together as a family. Also, place it somewhere visible at their kids'
eye level, like the refrigerator.

Slide 19 Thanks so much for attending this workshop. We hope it was

helpful!

And remember to focus on the whole pie! If your family has

balanced portions of different activities throughout the week,
you don't need to worry about counting minutes. You'll know
your child is getting what they need.

Please take a short survey about this workshop by going to

https://comsen.se/survey on your phone.

Distribute surveys on paper if needed. Distribute take-home

resources.

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